Ars Artem Salvat ENGLISH TEXT with the SUPPORT of the PRESIDENT of the ITALIAN REPUBLIC
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ANNO SACERDOTALE E VIII FESTIVAL INTERNAZIONALE DI MUSICA E ARTE SACRA Ars Artem Salvat ENGLISH TEXT WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC AND UNDER THE AUSPICES OF the Senate the Chamber of Deputies the President of the Council of Ministers the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities the Pontifical Council for Culture the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church the Latium Regional Council the Prefect of Rome the City of Rome the Province of Rome the Roman Chamber of Commerce the Italian State Tourist Board ENIT 13 ott. 2008 Basilica di S. Paolo fuori le Mura 220 THE 8TH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SACRED MUSIC AND ART IS DEDICATED TO THE PRIESTS IN THE YEAR OF PRIESTS ESTABLISHED BY POPE BENEDICT XVI FROM JUNE 19, 2009 TO JUNE 11, 2010 To be completely enthralled by Christ! This was the goal of the entire life of Saint Paul, to whom we looked throughout the Pauline Year now ending; this was the goal of the entire ministry of the Curé of Ars, whom we shall invoke in particular during this Year for Priests; may it also be the primary goal for each and every one of us. Certainly, to be ministers at the service of the Gospel, study and careful, ongoing pastoral and theological formation are useful and necessary, but even more necessary is that “knowledge of love” which can only be learned in a “heart to heart” encounter with Christ. For it is he who calls us to break the bread of his love, to forgive sins and to guide the flock in his name. And for that reason we must never step back from the source of love which is his heart, pierced on the Cross. The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI in his Homily during the celebration of the second vespers of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on occasion of the opening of the Year for Priests, Vatican Basilica, 19 June 2009. 13 ott. 2008 Basilica di S. Paolo fuori le Mura 221 ART, PATRONAGE AND CULTURAL TOURISM FOR THE ETERNAL CITY It is enough to glance, even quickly, at the list of what has been put into action during the mere seven years since the foundation of the Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra, in order to understand that it is possible to accomplish feats in the world of sacred art and its restoration and preservation that were considered impossible or improbable but a few years ago. The secret is simple: the only thing necessary is for men and women who, strongly certain of a value as important as that of sacred art, to convince other men and women to collaborate and to help save this tradition, through important acts of patronage. And that is exactly what has happened. In order to understand the importance of what has been accomplished, it suffices to consider the twelve large restoration projects that range from the Vatican Necropolises to the German Chapel of the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto; from the Chapel of Sextus V to the Borghese statue of Pope Paul V; from the Tamburini organ in the Basilica of St Ignatius of Loyola to the apartment of Pope Julius II. To all this can be added the extremely significant international Festival of Sacred Music Dr. Gianni Letta and Art which brought back to Rome the necessary and expanded space for reflection on these topics which, one might add, had been missing from the Italian cultural scene for some time. The Foundation’s concerts are events that leave a deep impression, for just how extraordinary they truly are. This is not the opinion of the author, but rather an objective review that these cultural events evoke every single time they occur. Among them was the unforgettable world premiere Of the Mass “Speravi in te Domine” by the modern Austrian composer Hubert Steppan, dedicated to Pope John Paul II, on the occasion of his 85th birthday and a short time after his death. During another time in history, patronage was associated with a certain characteristic, that of magnificence: both in the sense of magnanimity, of the generosity of those whose contributions made the work possible, as well as in the sense of grandiosity , of the great worth and beauty of the works that came about. I believe that, in the case of the Fondazione pro Music e Arte Sacra, this identification of patronage with magnificence has once again become the reality. If it can be expressed in this way, then, in occupying itself with sacred art and music, the Foundation goes to the centre of the West’s very heart. The aesthetic dimension is, in fact, central to our tradition. Music and art are essential components of this historico-cultural tradition. But our West is also the Christian West and, therefore, sacred art and music constitute the deepest core of this tradition: it belongs to everyone but it was born from beliefs and cultures that are identifiable in large part as Christian. Undertaking the restoration and preservation of these artistic and cultural testimonies; working diligently towards the reanimation, the kindling of devotion for the sacred in its various forms and traditions; becoming promoters of a pedagogy of beauty: these are the principal objectives of the Foundation. It is not by chance, as I recalled above, that the Foundation has occupied itself with interventions in the interior of four Papal Basilicas of Rome. These monuments make reference to the history of the Church who came into being in Rome, and who has turned Rome into a completely irreplaceable city. 222 Working towards these ends is not only a question of physical recuperation of pieces of history but it also means working so as to be sure to not lose the meaning of what is being passed down to us. If I may dare, I would say that the work of the Foundation promotes the conservation and the transmission of a true and proper spiritual patrimony: the patrimony of Rome, the patrimony of the Christian West. The activities of the Foundation hold important value by way of cultural tourism for the city of Rome and thus for Italy. Its concert events draws audiences from France, Spain and Germany, and likewise can be said for the visits that such foreign citizens make to the places and monuments that are restored. It is a tourism of calibre. For it entails a certain calibre regarding the tourists who participate and, consequently, regarding the quality of the places that welcome them. In addition, it is the kind of tourism which, since some time ago, has become both necessary and urgent for the city of Rome. The Foundation, in its work, promotes this tourism with concrete facts and actions, not merely intentions. It is indeed true that from one positive deed, there generates a series of positive effects that often go beyond the intentions of the person who himself or herself performed that deed. This is the case for the Foundation which, in doing what it set out to do, creates a virtuous circle, among which cultural tourism is one of the principal factors. The Founder and President General Dr. Hans-Albert Courtial is not only a great and contemporary Patron but also an Ambassador of Rome to the world: the Ambassador of Christian Rome. The contents of the work that Hans-Albert Courtial has conceived and carried out as his true and proper “mission”, are what, since 2002 – the year of the birth of the Foundation – have animated Rome and have shared for the first time facts and values as yet unknown to the world. The praise, appreciation and gratitude for the projects that have been carried out are merited by the extraordinary results of the work itself. I myself owe an expression of my sincere gratitude, also on behalf of the Italian government, and all the best wishes for many more years of progress along this path, while always increasing the quantity of activities performed, given that the quality is already at such a very high level: anything better would be impossible! Thank you. DR. GIANNI LETTA State Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Italian Council of Ministers Member of the Foundation’s Committee of Honor 223 PREAMBLE BY PROMOROMA, A SPECIAL COMPANY OF THE ROME CHAMBER OF COMMERCE On 17 June 2003, UNESCO inaugurated the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The intangible cultural heritage means “the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills ... that communities, groups and … individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity”. In Rome, sacred music fulfills a central role within this context of commemorating the traditions and expressions of cultural heritage. It is sacred music that, as Benedict XVI recalled in 2007, according to the Second Vatican Council constitutes “a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as a combination of sacred music and Dr. Roberto Novelli words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy”. Rome is the universal seat of Christianity where, in 2002, the International Festival of Sacred Music and Art first came to life. It was a highly significant event that attracted the interest and appreciation of several institutions, of the public, and of related professionals. Among these was the Camera di Commercio di Roma (the Chamber of Commerce of Rome) which - through the work of the Azienda Speciale Promoroma – has provided a substantial contribution.